Claire Denis

Claire Denis Bio

Claire Denis is a French film director and writer who was born on April 21st, 1946 in Paris, France. She was born in Paris but was raised in colonial French Africa where her father was a civil servant. Claire’s childhood was spent in Burkina Faso, French Somaliland, Cameroon, and Senegal. She studied Economics and is an ancient student at L’IDHEC (La FEMIS).

Claire got experience working as an assistant director to Wim Wenders on several movies including Paris, Texas (1984) and Wings of Desire (1987) and Jim Jarmusch Down by Law (1986). Claire also worked as an extra on Robert Bresson’s Four Nights of a Dreamer (1971). Claire’s debut film Chocolat was praised by movie critics and was selected for the Cannes Film Festival. It was a semi-autobiographical meditation on African colonialism. She is currently a professor at La Femis in Paris and was a member of the July at the Venice Film Festival in 2005.

As a director and writer, Claire is best known for High Life (2018), Beau travail (1999) and Nénette et Boni (1996).